A Hood Canal dinner with a farmer, fisher and forager

I have heard so many amazing things about Alderbrook Resort & Spa from colleagues and friends, so I was incredibly keen when I was invited out to the property to try their new Locavore package – a VERY cool service that is offered year-round.

With a sense of adventure and an empty stomach, I grabbed my most favorite plus on, my mumsie, and headed out the the Hood Canal (which is technically a fjord, but that’s a whole other story).

I’m not gonna lie ya’ll. The locavore package is fantastic (more on this later), but what really stole the show for me was the dinner we had at The Restaurant at Alderbrook.

The menu and food offered at the restaurant is a foodies paradise.

Full disclosure here: as someone who works in the media, there is an expectation on work trips that you will be given the best treatment possible. Everything will be perfect. Every moment special, every bite outstanding and every sup complimentary to every taste.

So here’s where we got special treatment – it’s not because of the food of the wine or the desserts but because of who we had the pleasure of sharing the table with that evening.

A farmer, a fisherman and a forager.

Meet Evan, the fisherman who had caught our salmon not even 24 hours before we ate it. Fran and Aaron, who own Humble Stump Farm, not far from the property (who wove their produce throughout the meal) and Telissa, who foraged fresh mushrooms from around the area and brought them as gifts for us to take home.

Sharing the dinner table with these people, drinking wine pairings from Alderbrook’s sommelier Jason and hearing about the menu and the way in which it was curated from Chef Ben – this is where it was special for us media folk. I learned a lot, to say the least.

Any regular diner of hotel guest will get the same forethought and passion in their meal but here is the most important takeaway that I want to impart with you.

Enjoying the food that the earth produces around you and eating what is grown seasonally is incredibly important.

My perspective is that this idea comes naturally to Washingtonians for the most part. Being tactful in your selection, cooking with clean and organic ingredients – the way food should be to fill you up both physically and spiritually (YES, I am into that hippie woo woo stuff) and this principle is what the restaurant is all about.

There was something special about sharing a meal with the people who brought it to you. I could taste and feel the passion, the pride and how thrilled they were to share this experience with others. It was a magical, dare I say, spiritual experience? This is what the food connoisseurs at Alderbrook focused this menu around.

Okay. Thank you for letting me gush about Alderbrook’s food for a second. Now let’s talk about the Locavore package!

The locavore package is a trip to the Union City Market which is cute as a button! The market is full of locally curated items (art work from local artists and designers, candles, journals, basically tons of fun trinkets). The team at Alderbrook will treat you to some fresh, local and delicious food and beverage pairings with Chef Ben. Along with the food pairings, you will get 15 percent off overnight accommodations, two Union City enamelware mugs and a ~bunch of memories~.

If you are looking for a getaway as well as an experience that immerses you in local food - Alderbrook has got it nailed. You won't be able to sit down with the farmer, the forager and the fisherman but I can guarantee that behind the scenes the folks putting this meal together are there in essence, in value and in passion. They'll be with you every step of the way.

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